I am very, very pleased with myself for this little project. Not because it is fantastically novel , but because for once I am really proud of the final outcome. Go back to 2019 when I enrolled on a quilting course and was thrown in at the deep end with a full sized quilt over three 6 hour sessions which totally exhausted and confused me. I ended up with a quilt and embarked on quilt two, but couldn’t attend the last workshop as youngest son got married on that day. Since then I have made two smaller quilts for grandchildren, but they have been a bit of a cobbled together botched job. The truth is I still didn’t really know what I was about, and the second big quilt lingers on the to be finished pile.
This month I took the sensible decision and decided to go back to basics- start with something really small and do it properly. Find a book and some fabric scraps which don’t scare me, and breathe.
Ok so I have made coasters before, cobbled together botched jobs. These I will do slowly, properly and neatly. Breathe.
Small squares, carefully measured and stitched together- press open the seams and breathe..
Looking good
As it happens I have always fancied using strawberry fabric for a garden project, but then I used the fabric for other things but there was enough left over.
I am so pleased with myself. I can’t wait to use these for the first garden mug of coffee. And the moral of the story is start small, oh and don’t forget to breathe.
I shall tackle the unfinished quilt- it will be far from perfect, but I shall also try somthing a bit bigger than coasters and learn slowly.
Joining with Kate and others for more Scrap Happy Projects here-
Kate (me!), Gun,Eva, Sue,Lynn,Lynda,
Birthe,Turid,Susan,Cathy, Tracy,Jill,
Claire,Jan, Moira,Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Kerry, Claire, Jean, Jon,Hayley, Dawn,
Gwen,Bekki,Sue L,Sunny,Kjerstin,
Vera,Nanette, Ann,Dawn 2 and Noreen
nanacathy2
nanacathydotcom 
Comments on: "Scrap Happy _ February 2021" (49)
What a good idea! Those are adorable!
Great project – turned out wonderful!
These turned out quite lovely. Coasters are not always as easy as it would appear. Good plan to go back to basics. I’d like to be making anything right now.
How fun! I have been thinking about making some mug rugs with scraps.
These look so pretty! Good for you tackling something that was bugging you. Starting small and taking it easy is a wonderful approach!
I scare easily and working at my own pace, at home and taking time really helps.
well done, very pretty! And so smart to go back and start with the basics where you had control. Breathing is so important.
Small really is beautiful.
Well look at you, quilting like a champion. It’s all that breathing that does it. Matching seams and everything. Another time, you won’t be scared of coasters, and you could scale them up to a set of place mats, maybe. And from place mats it’s not much of a reach to a table runner. Well, you get the idea. Beautiful work, Cathy.
Thanks Kate, I have something called a trivet next that looks like a giant coaster, but scaling up seems to be the way to go, that and not scaring myself with new fabric.
And breathing, of course…
It helps I have heard.
Very nice. And you should be proud
Thank you.
Very neat and quite delightful!
Thank you, so kind.
You did great! The coasters are adorable, and I love that strawberry fabric. So summery and cheerful!
Can’t wait for those lovely spring days, and a chance to use them.
Lovely work, Cathy! Particularly enjoy your choice of fabrics.
Thanks, so much- I love the fabrics too.
I learned, early on, that it’s all about cutting precisely and pressing those seams so things line up. And what a great job you’ve made on these coasters! Not only is your piecing neat, but your quilting is lovely too!
It was the quilting I really wanted to try, but I was so thrilled with the joins. Thanks Claire.
Breathing is always good and I don’t see any imperfection, only sewing by a human…I love your little coasters, and I’m with you in anticipation of the first lovely cup of anything out in the garden, and maybe a bit later, a strawberry or two!
Strawberries warm from the garden are the best.
Lovely! I love the fabric too.
It’s grand isn’t it.
A little old timey, 🙂
I guess we could also call it timeless 🙂 great choices
Yay!!! These are so sweet, Cathy! You should be pleased with your self.
I don’t think I have been this pleased with a sewing project for so long.
Ahhh…take time to revel in that wonderful feeling.
great job!
Thank you.
These look great Cathy, the stitching is beautifully done! On to another small project, if you sew. But every week, soon it will be fun!
Taking my time to be careful, really did help. Ready for the next step.
Congratulations!! I LOVE the fabric, they look beautiful!
Thanks, I can’t wait to try some more strawberry projects.
I think you have done the right thing Cathy. A large quilt is a huge undertaking and needs working up to if you want to be perfectly happy with the results. Your coasters look beautiful and bode well for all your future patchwork projects. All that breathing obviously worked wonders.
Breathing does help. I reckon that if I could have started with something smaller I would have been much happier with the classes.
It’s beautiful! 🤍
Thank you.
Well done!!! Looking fabulous.
Thanks, for once looking ok.
I absolutely love these, you did a brilliant job, and no-one can ever have enough coasters. Also love your use of scraps 🙂
On the subject of coasters: Andrew put his glass of wine on the dark wooden arm of a beautiful sofa in a guesthouse we were staying in two weeks ago in Kleinmond. The ring it left behind was unbelievable, I should have taken a pic. I googled remedies and one was to smear vaseline over the ring and leave it for 8 hours/overnight before wiping it off. I always pack vaseline because I tend to have dry elbows, but even if I hadn’t we would have shot off to the nearest shop and bought some. The result was like magic, the vaseline worked perfectly and it was as if the solid whitish ring on the dark wood had never really happened.
Great tip! and what a relief it worked!
Well goodness me, who knew that, thanks for sharing the tip.
Apparently a thick paste made with bicarbonate of soda also works. But we both felt terrible about it, plus I was also rather cross with a certain person.
Don’t blame you for being cross.
Lovely. My mum made me a patchwork quilt when I was little, it’s threadbare and torn in places now but I can’t bear to part with it.
I bet you can’t, so precious.